Web sites, www.anonymizer.com and www.multiproxy.org, were blocked.
However, a number of sites reported
blocked in the past were found to be accessible.
These include www.wsahara.net and www.arso.
org, both pro-Western Sahara independence
sites, as well as www.spsrasd.info, the Saharan
press service’s site, and www.aljamaa.info,
Justice and Charity’s site (though the title of the
site is Justice and Spirituality).
Conclusion
Morocco’s Internet filtration regime is relatively
light and focuses on Western Saharan independence, a few blog sites, and highly visible
anonymizers. The issues Morocco faces in
Western Sahara’s push for independence, the
specter of Islamist terrorism, and the protection
of the royal family and Islam from defamation
have led Morocco to crack down on free speech
and the press, but have not yet led it to significantly censor the Internet. As Internet users can
find blocked material on other accessible sites, it
is clear that Morocco’s filtration regime is not
comprehensive. Relative to the region, Moroccan
Internet access is fairly free.
NOTES
1. BBC News, “Regions and territories: Western
Sahara,” February 2007, http://news.bbc.co.uk/
2/hi/africa/country_profiles/3466917.stm.
2. United Nations Mission for the Referendum in
Western Sahara, Western Sahara: MINURSO –
Background, 2005, http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/
missions/minurso/background.html.
3. Western Sahara Online, “History,”
http://www.wsahara.net/history.html.
4. United Nations Mission for the Referendum in
Western Sahara, Western Sahara: MINURSO –
Background, 2005, http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/
missions/minurso/background.html.
5. Human Rights Watch, Morocco/Western Sahara:
World Report 2007, January 2007, http://hrw.org/
englishwr2k7/docs/2007/01/11/morocc14714.htm.
6. Ibid.
7. Reporters Without Borders, Morocco: Annual Report
2007, February 2007, http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?
id_article=20772.
8. Ibid.
9. Reporters Without Borders, “Swedish photographer
expelled from Western Sahara a day after his arrest,”
February 2007, http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?
id_article=21059.
10. BBC News, “Terror blasts rock Casablanca,” May
2003, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3035803.stm.
11. Human Rights Watch, Morocco/Western Sahara:
World Report 2007, January 2007, http://hrw.org/
englishwr2k7/docs/2007/01/11/morocc14714.htm.
12. Privacy International, “Internet censorship report
2003: Morocco,” November 2004, http://africa.rights.
apc.org/?apc=s21807e_1&x=28046.
13. United Nations Economic Committee for Africa,
Morocco: Internet Connectivity,
http://www.uneca.org/aisi/nici/country_profiles/
Morocco/morocinter.htm.
14. Frontier Economics Ltd., London. Country Analysis
2007: A Report Prepared for the NATP II, January
2007, http://www.natp2.org/midtermnews/
Country%20analysis%202007.pdf.
15. Ibid.
16. Ibid.
17. Internet World Stats, Internet Usage Statistics for
Africa, http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats1.htm.
18. Ibid.
19. afrol News, “Moroccan ADSL market grows by
300%,” November 7, 2006, http://www.afrol.com/
articles/22425.
20. Ibid.
21. “Two major North African markets look set to
become legal VoIP pioneers, says new report,”
Al-Bawaba, June 6, 2006.
22. Adam Mahdi, “Blogs becoming increasingly popular
in Morocco,” Magharebia, September 11, 2006,
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/
en_GB/features/awi/features/2006/09/11/feature-01.
23. Human Rights Watch, The Internet in the Mideast
and North Africa: Free Expression and Censorship –
Morocco, June 1999, http://hrw.org/advocacy/
internet/mena/morocco.htm.
24. Reporters Without Borders, Morocco: Annual Report
2007, February 2007, http://www.rsf.org/article.
php3?id_article=20772; and Human Rights Watch,
Morocco/Western Sahara: World Report 2007,
January 2007, http://hrw.org/englishwr2k7/docs/
2007/01/11/morocc14714.htm.
25. The Initiative for an Open Arab Internet, Implacable
Adversaries: Arab Government and the Internet
(2006): Morocco, http://www.openarab.net/en/
reports/net2006/morocco.shtml.
26. Ibid.
336
Country Summaries
However, a number of sites reported
blocked in the past were found to be accessible.
These include www.wsahara.net and www.arso.
org, both pro-Western Sahara independence
sites, as well as www.spsrasd.info, the Saharan
press service’s site, and www.aljamaa.info,
Justice and Charity’s site (though the title of the
site is Justice and Spirituality).
Conclusion
Morocco’s Internet filtration regime is relatively
light and focuses on Western Saharan independence, a few blog sites, and highly visible
anonymizers. The issues Morocco faces in
Western Sahara’s push for independence, the
specter of Islamist terrorism, and the protection
of the royal family and Islam from defamation
have led Morocco to crack down on free speech
and the press, but have not yet led it to significantly censor the Internet. As Internet users can
find blocked material on other accessible sites, it
is clear that Morocco’s filtration regime is not
comprehensive. Relative to the region, Moroccan
Internet access is fairly free.
NOTES
1. BBC News, “Regions and territories: Western
Sahara,” February 2007, http://news.bbc.co.uk/
2/hi/africa/country_profiles/3466917.stm.
2. United Nations Mission for the Referendum in
Western Sahara, Western Sahara: MINURSO –
Background, 2005, http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/
missions/minurso/background.html.
3. Western Sahara Online, “History,”
http://www.wsahara.net/history.html.
4. United Nations Mission for the Referendum in
Western Sahara, Western Sahara: MINURSO –
Background, 2005, http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/
missions/minurso/background.html.
5. Human Rights Watch, Morocco/Western Sahara:
World Report 2007, January 2007, http://hrw.org/
englishwr2k7/docs/2007/01/11/morocc14714.htm.
6. Ibid.
7. Reporters Without Borders, Morocco: Annual Report
2007, February 2007, http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?
id_article=20772.
8. Ibid.
9. Reporters Without Borders, “Swedish photographer
expelled from Western Sahara a day after his arrest,”
February 2007, http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?
id_article=21059.
10. BBC News, “Terror blasts rock Casablanca,” May
2003, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3035803.stm.
11. Human Rights Watch, Morocco/Western Sahara:
World Report 2007, January 2007, http://hrw.org/
englishwr2k7/docs/2007/01/11/morocc14714.htm.
12. Privacy International, “Internet censorship report
2003: Morocco,” November 2004, http://africa.rights.
apc.org/?apc=s21807e_1&x=28046.
13. United Nations Economic Committee for Africa,
Morocco: Internet Connectivity,
http://www.uneca.org/aisi/nici/country_profiles/
Morocco/morocinter.htm.
14. Frontier Economics Ltd., London. Country Analysis
2007: A Report Prepared for the NATP II, January
2007, http://www.natp2.org/midtermnews/
Country%20analysis%202007.pdf.
15. Ibid.
16. Ibid.
17. Internet World Stats, Internet Usage Statistics for
Africa, http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats1.htm.
18. Ibid.
19. afrol News, “Moroccan ADSL market grows by
300%,” November 7, 2006, http://www.afrol.com/
articles/22425.
20. Ibid.
21. “Two major North African markets look set to
become legal VoIP pioneers, says new report,”
Al-Bawaba, June 6, 2006.
22. Adam Mahdi, “Blogs becoming increasingly popular
in Morocco,” Magharebia, September 11, 2006,
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/
en_GB/features/awi/features/2006/09/11/feature-01.
23. Human Rights Watch, The Internet in the Mideast
and North Africa: Free Expression and Censorship –
Morocco, June 1999, http://hrw.org/advocacy/
internet/mena/morocco.htm.
24. Reporters Without Borders, Morocco: Annual Report
2007, February 2007, http://www.rsf.org/article.
php3?id_article=20772; and Human Rights Watch,
Morocco/Western Sahara: World Report 2007,
January 2007, http://hrw.org/englishwr2k7/docs/
2007/01/11/morocc14714.htm.
25. The Initiative for an Open Arab Internet, Implacable
Adversaries: Arab Government and the Internet
(2006): Morocco, http://www.openarab.net/en/
reports/net2006/morocco.shtml.
26. Ibid.
336
Country Summaries